This is a story which seeks to encourage young children to learn
about the history of Gallipoli and the birth of the Turkish Republic. The story
also offers an opportunity for the youth of today to better understand the
sacrifices made by their forefathers, and the role of the Battle of Gallipoli in
building peace in today's world. The
characters of the story represent visitors from all continents who come to visit
Gallipoli (Çanakkale) Turkey. As a result of their visit and adventures, they
discover a great deal about themselves, and about world history. The story also aims to
provide some general information and travel ideas for a trip
to Gallipoli and to Turkey by using the educational links listed below.

Amable goes to Gallipoli

Amable Kangaroo Between Peace & War

Towards the year 2015
&
The 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli Battle

A
story
for children

One sunny day on the Canakkale Farm in
Gallipoli, the distinctive Cat from Van was climbing up a wall with her couzin
from Ankara (whose one eye was bright blue, and the other bright green) when
they heard a "Wizzzzzzzzzzz" like sound.

In the distance they saw a big fluttering of
feathers, as a group of ducks, who were taking a sun bath, flew off in
bewilderment when a speeding arrow fell to the
ground.

As the two cats cautiously advanced, with their bodies in a crouched
position and their ears thrust back, they saw a colorful feather stuck to an arrow, which now stood firmly
in the ground.

The feather was from
their friend the Gamgana bird, who also sent a note, which read "I shall be
coming for a visit to see all my dear friends soon. I would like to send you a
visitor, my friend the baby Kangaroo, who wishes to visit Gallipoli."

The
Gamgana bird's feather and note, sent with an arrow

News of the planned visit quickly spread
across the farm. It had been a long time since the Gamgana bird had stopped by,
even though he regularly migrated between Africa and Asia.

On this trip Gamgana had decided once again to
stray from the flock and travel a little farther. Just like his last journey, he
planned to fly all the way to Australia.

In Sydney, on his last trip, he had made many friends. Amongst
them was a young, curious Kangaroo, whose name was Amable. The Gamgana bird had promised
that on his next trip to Australia he would bring Amable back to Gallipoli with
him.

Amable Kangaroo

Gamagana shared his travel experiences with
his newly made friends in Australia, and described life in Gallipoli, while he
told them about his animal friends on the farm.

Some of his friends in Australia had already
heard about how the brave animals of Gallipoli had fought off invaders who
wished to conquere their lands. They asked Gamgana to tell them how the
inhabitants of Gallipoli came together to fight what they called "the greedy
eyed" invaders
who wanted to take their farms from them.

As he told these historic accounts, Gamgana
learned about how the ancestors of his friends in Australia had also fought,
made great sacrifices, and
died in Gallipoli.

Amable
liked to carry a magnifying glass,
just like Mincik who lived in Gallipoli

They
told him that there were other animals, in other countries, who also wanted to
visit Gallipoli. Amable the baby Kangaroo had been writing to them, and
suggested they all meet there.

Amable
was very happy that all his pen-pals had agreed to meet in Gallipoli. His best
friend Coco Koala from New Zealand was already on his way, and was going by boat.
As Coco boarded, he was saddened that Amable could not join him on the ship, but
he knew they would soon be together.

Coco
Koala

Amable,
who would be travelling with Gamgana, would perhaps arrive sooner than Coco
Koala.

As
Amable anxiously awaited the arrival of Gamgana, his mother carefully folded the
parachute she had made for him, and lovingly placed it in his pouch, along with
his favorite biscuits and magnifying glass.

***

The
day finally came when the Gamgana bird appeared on the horizon.

As
he tilted his head with his left wing pointing down, he began his graceful
landing into Sydney. Gamgana used his bird's eye vision and the knowledge of
many landing techniques, including those he acquired from his bird friends in
Gallipoli. He waved to greet the fish swimming below as he neared the Opera
building. Gamgana then aimed and fired an arrow, once again with a feather
attached. All the animals quickly gathered where the arrow fell in anticipation
of his landing. The selected destination was the garden next to the "Lake
of Reflections" at the Anzac War
Memorial, which was Sydney's main commemorative monument honoring the fallen
ancestors and soldiers of the Gallipoli Battle.

Amable was
already eagerly waiting at this selected location. Once Gamgana landed, Amable
hopped with joy and excitement towards the colorful Gamgana bird. His mother
remained a few hops behind, trying to keep up with him.

That evening
a going-away party was held in Amable's honor. Everybody attended this special
event because Gallipoli had great significance for all those who honored their
forefathers and the sacrifices they made. The good-bye party was held in the
gardens of the Anzac War Memorial, which for everyone represented a symbol of
peace.

Before their departure, Gamgana inspected the fine parachute Amable's
mother had prepared. The young Kangaroo was very excited about his trip and
meeting his friends in Gallipoli. He brought along with him all the letters his
friends had written.

Upon
seeing the letters, Gamgana asked, "Are these the letters from your friends?"

"Yes,"
replied Amable happily. "We have been coresponding for a long time. They
are already on their way."

"How
magnificent. They are coming from around the world to meet you in Gallipoli,"
said the Gamgana bird.

Just
to be sure, Amable asked "I'll be able to find them there, won't I?"

"Of
course you will! Perhaps you might even get there before they do,"
responded the wise Gamgana.

***

Their
flight was a long one. As Gamgana and Amable neared Gallipoli they flew over
neighboring countries. They saw the ruins of many old and ancient civilizations.
They saw rivers that gave life to surrounding dry lands. They saw waterfalls,
canyans, peaks, valleys, caves, oases and rainbows.

But
in the distance they also saw heavy black clouds. Amable who had never seen such
black clouds, asked the Gamgana bird "Why don't we have such dark clouds
over our continent?"

With
a sorrowful expression the knowledgeable bird replied, "These dark clouds
you see Amable are the clouds of war. This is why the people of this land are now
living under the days of dark clouds."

After flying
closer Amable realized that some of the dark clouds were created by burning oil
wells. As he looked down below he began to see charcoal colored homes that
looked like skeletons, flames, and cars on fire. He thought to himself that
perhaps these homes and cars were made out of cardboard. Amable could not fully
comprehend what he saw.

As
their journey continued, they approached Gallipoli, and Amable felt more at peace.
The two travellers were now free from the shadows of the dark clouds. Amable began to feel at home as he saw the green forests and hills of the
Gallipoli Peninsula, its clear blue waters, and acres of sunflowers.

Gamgana told
Amable to get his parachute ready for his landing. Amable quickly put on his
parachute and acquired a pre-hop position. The Gamgana bird released him above
Monument Hill.

As he fell
downward he suddenly felt confident and mature, just as he imagined his
ancestors during the Gallipoli naval landings. After pulling on his parachute string,
he began to gently drift as the wind filled his parachute. Suspended in mid-air,
his fingers trembled as the wind passed between them, but once his little
feet touched ground, Amable's fear was replaced by curiosity, and his desire to
discover and learn.

When the Telli Turna birds saw a kangaroo falling from the sky with a parachute,
they immediately flew in the direction of Monument Hill.

Upon their
arrival a baby kangaroo was waiting for them. The Telli Turna birds had already
given Amable the name of "Johnny the flying kangaroo." Visitors who saw the
landing, wondered what it would be like to land with a parachute, and imagined themselves drifting above
Monument Hill.

The
children who were visiting Gallipoli that day also imagined landing with a
parachute,
even though
they knew parachuting could be dangerous.

Professor
Hasan Telli Turna approached the young kangaroo and asked,

"Are
you the kangaroo that the Gamgana bird said would visit?"

"Yes,"
said Amable with a shy and timid voice. He added, "My name is Amable."

"Welcome
Amable," responded Prof.
Hasan Telli Turna. "There's no reason for you to be afraid. You'll
soon be with your friends, as well as make new ones. I will be your guide."

Professor
Hasan Telli Turna

At that
moment, a small silkworm from Bursa exclaimed in a high-pitched voice, "Look!
Look! There are other visitors arriving by sea."

All the
animals and children who were visiting Monument Hill looked down at the seashore. They knew that as Anzac Day on April 25 approached,
visitors from around the world would come to visit Gallipoli. They came by sea, by
land, and by air. Everyone wanted to be friends as they honored those who fought
there.

That week
migrating birds were also making themselves at home as they passed over
Gallipoli, the Dardanelles, Troy, and the historic city of Istanbul. Amongst the
migrating flocks was a rooster who had travelled by foot all the way from
Normandy France, a region of the world which also once lived under the black dark
clouds of war.

When Amable
turned to look in the direction of the sea, he saw big white whales splashing
their tails against the blue waters. These visitors had travelled all the way
from Hawaii's Pearl Harbor, and were being guided by agile Mediterranean Seals.
The homeland of these great whales was also once covered by the dark clouds of
war.

Upon looking
up into the sky, Amable saw an equally interesting sight. A large eagle, who was
clutching a racoon, was heading towards him.

Amable had
an eagle friend with whom he corresponded regularly, but he was not sure if this
was the eagle which had written him many letters. After the eagle and raccoon
landed upon Monument Hill, Prof. Hasan Telli Turna welcomed them. Even though
the eagle
spoke Lingua Franca, and the raccoon had just recently learned Esperanto, all
the animals and their guide were multi-lingual, and could understand each other
easily with the help of their strong instincts. After putting his feathers in place the
eagle approached Amable.

“My
name is Sam” he said, a bit out of breath from flying.

Then the raccoon, who
was not accustomed to flying, cleared his throat and said,

“My
name is Alexander.”

Amable
at once realized that Sam the Eagle and Alexander the Raccoon were indeed his
old pen-pals and friends.

Amable
later recognized many other visitors, such as Teddy Panda, Yoyo Giraffe, Tigi
Tiger, Smily Croco, and of course Coco
Koala who arrived later that day by ship.

After
gathering everyone together, Prof.
Hasan Telli Turna began telling them about the history of Gallipoli,

“You
have all heard about how the brave fighters of this land fought to protect their
homeland. We also know that some of your ancestors, who came from distant lands,
fought and died here. Along with our heroes, they are resting in peace. Please always
remember the words of our great commander ;

Those
heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives...
You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country.
Therefore rest in peace.
There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets
to us where they lie side by side now here in this country of ours.
You, the mothers, who sent their sons from faraway countries wipe away your
tears.
Your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace.
After having lost their lives on this land, they have become our sons as well.”

Just
as the professor was about to eleborate further on the history of Gallipoli, a “Booooommmm”
like sound was heard as if coming from afar. Amable recalled hearing such a
sound while he was flying over the region with the heavy dark clouds. The vibrations
from the loud noise resonated within the graves of Gallipoli's honored soldiers.
Each and every visitor was disturbed by the sudden realization that perhaps their forefathers
may no longer rest in peace. As long as the clouds of war
billowed in the nearby skies, they were aware that peace could not prevail.

Amable,
with a sense of urgency, said,

“For
nealy 100 years our ancestors have rested here in peace. We, the grandchildren
of those who fought and died in battle, know well the lessons of war. We have
therefore learned from their sacrifices, and we know the value of peace
for all nations. During our visit here we have seen that our forefathers have
been resting in peace. But, we have now learned that the black clouds of a nearby war
are threatening the peace of this land.”

All
the birds and animals nodded their heads in agreement.On
that day the visitors of Gallipoli vowed that they would spread this urgent
message to other visitors and nations. They hoped that as the 100th anniversary
of the end of the Battle of Gallipoli approached, other wars which threaten
peace can be prevented.

"Peace
at home, peace on earth."

Mustafa
Kemal Ataturk

***

Writer's Note:

Note 1: The term ANZAC is used as an acronym for "Australian and New Zealand Army Corps,"
which was the original name for the combined corps of Australian and New Zealand
troops who fought in World War I at Gallipoli.

Note 2: A pen-pal relationship is often used to practice
writing and reading in a foreign language, to improve literacy, and to learn
more about other countries. Some pen-pals eventually arrange to meet face to face. The writer hopes that children
can gain
knowledge about themselves, and the world around them, by sharing their views
and experiences with each other. Being a pen-pal is just one way to
gain a valuable understanding of the world through the exchange of ideas that can lead to
a better appreciation of different cultures and nations, especially in a world of
increasing conflict.